Even before the people in the Indo-Pak Subcontinent could savour the jubilation of Kashmir Singh returning to India after spending 36 years in Pakistani Jails, mostly in solitary confinement waiting on death row, Pakistan President Musharraf has turned down the mercy petition of another person Sarabjit Singh. Sarabjit has been in Pakistani Jails for the last 17 years. The rejection of the mercy petition came within less than 24 hrs of Kashmir Singh returning to India.
The story of both is identical. They strayed into Pakistan inadvertently at different points of time. Pakistan refuses to accept this in the case of Sarabjit Singh. Even the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had spoken to President Musharraf for the release of Sarabjit Singh. He was awarded death sentence by a lower court which was confirmed by the Lahore High Court and subsequently upheld by the Pakistan Supreme Court.
Kashmir Singh's release had raised the hopes of imminent release among the families of other Indian prisoners languishing in Pakistani Jails for a long time. In fact many of the families had gone to the Wagah border near Amritsar to receive Kashmir Singh. On the Pakistani side too those who had come to the Attari post included Ansar Burney, Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, who played a key role in getting Kashmir Singh released by persuading President Musharraf to grant him clemency as he had already spent 36 years in Pakistani Jails.
The ceremony to bring down the flags after sunset each day, at the Indo-Pak Wagah border post is usually marked by tense frenzied cries of parochial patriotism on either side. But on the day Kashmir Singh crossed the border post, the gates opened amidst thunderous cheers on both sides. Was this meant to be only a short lived ecstasy?
Kashmir Singh had almost been forgotten by the two Governments and his family had taken him for dead. But then Ansar Burney, appeared in his life as a Messiah. He spotted him in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail just 3 months ago and moved fast to get him released. President Musharraf moved equally fast in granting him clemency.
Kashmir Singh was not the only Indian prisoner in Pakistani Jails. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman recently admitted to about 500 such persons being in Pak Jails and about 450 Pakistani prisoners in Indian Jails. Unconfirmed reports put the figure much higher. It goes to the credit of the two countries that they released a lot many prisoners in each other's country during the last three years. Pakistan released over two thousand of them while India set free over 800..
Prakash Singh Badal's Akali-BJP coalition government in Punjab is planning to undertake a survey of all Pakistani prisoners in Indian Jails with a view to working for their return to Pakistan. This augurs well with the need of the hour. Pakistan Government also needs to take similar steps in their country. After all, why should people continue to be incarcerated beyond the term of their imprisonment--that is if they have really committed some crime. In most cases the persons put in jails are innocent people who have crossed the border unwittingly.
Soon after his release Kashmir Singh said that he would now be able to die in peace. This reflects the amount of relief he got on his coming back home. Can't other innocent prisoners and those who have served their sentences be as lucky? Why cant the Bollywood film "Veer Zara" turn out to be a replay in actual life for them as well.
One would have thought that Kashmir Singh's release is not the story of one individual alone. It marks a new high in Indo-Pak relations. The emotional send off given to Kashmir Singh at the Attari border spoke volumes about the radical change taking place in Indo-Pak relations.
Surely, no one will disagree that this process needs to be carried forward to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two neighbours. This needs bold initiatives. Release of prisoners is one such step.
Sarla Handoo, Syndicate Features
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